Pompeii limits the number of visitors to protect its heritage | Culture

Last summer, the archaeological site registered a record number of tourists. More than four million people visited the remains of the city devastated by him in 79. Some days, especially the first Sundays of the month, when admission is free, there were peaks of more than 36,000 visits.

These figures, which have surpassed all records in the history of the site, have led the management to take measures to guarantee the safety of people and the conservation of the excavations, which are an archaeological treasure of incalculable value for studying Rome. Ancient. Starting November 15, a daily limit of 20,000 entries will be established. In addition, tickets will be personalized, with the name of each visitor. During the summer period, from April to October, where the influx of tourists is greater, time slots will be set to control income. From 9 in the morning to 12 noon a maximum of 15,000 tourists will be able to enter and from 12 to 5:30 p.m. 5,000 entries will be enabled.

The director of the Archaeological Park has explained that the objective of this measure is to limit the effects of mass tourism in such a particular place, the city that was frozen in time was buried under the ashes of the volcano, which is a world heritage site. “We are working on a series of projects to mitigate anthropogenic pressure on the site because it can pose a risk both to people, for example in the event of an earthquake, and to the heritage, which is so unique and fragile,” he noted, through of a statement,

This advocates for “slow, sustainable, pleasant and not massive” tourism. As part of the new tourism strategy, the management also intends that the influx of visitors is also spread throughout the entire area surrounding the site, “rich in cultural gems to be discovered” and that includes other less known excavations, such as those of Boscoreale, Torre Annunziata, Villa of the Mysteries, Civita Giuliana and Stabia, which were also devastated by the fury of Vesuvius.

“Experience shows that only those who are committed to quality grow sustainably, and that is what we focus on, while trying to help the territory and the operators in the sector who work in a context that has changed profoundly since the pandemic and that will return.” to change. These changes must be managed in a shared way and not passively supported,” said Zuchtriegel. And he has assured that this novelty will be implemented experimentally. “In this initial phase we will closely observe the situation and continue dialogue with all interested parties to adjust course if necessary,” he clarified.

This measure comes at a time when in Italy and other heavily touristed countries, such as Spain or Greece, the debate on how to stop the negative effects of mass tourism is being fueled, even with protests from the local population. The transalpine country has experienced a strong recovery in tourism after the pandemic stopped. Italy broke its historical record for tourists in 2023, with 134 million arrivals and 451 million overnight stays, 13% more than the previous year and 2.3% more than in 2019, the year preceding the pandemic.

Forecasts indicate that the number of visitors will continue to grow. Some Italian cities are launching different projects to try to control such a high influx of tourists. Venice has tested a paid entrance fee for those who visit the city center during the day, without staying overnight. Florence has limited the number of tourist accommodations in the center and Rome is studying controlling the apartments for tourists and also a system of paid visits with reservation to the Trevi Fountain to avoid the crowds that generate around the monument.